Helicopter Crash in Malaysia: 10 killed in mid-air crash

Helicopter Crash in Malaysia: As many as 10 people died in a mid-air crash between two Malaysian Navy helicopters at the Lumut naval base, Perak today (Tuesday, April 23).

According to the media reports, the helicopter crash in Malaysia occurred at around 9:30 am while navy helicopters were rehearsing for the Navy Day parade. The Malaysian Navy has confirmed the death of all 10 crew members. The Navy said that the bodies have been shifted to the Lumut naval base military hospital for identification.

Numerous helicopters were flying in formation when one of their rotors clipped another, causing both aircraft to fall to the ground, according to a video that went viral on local media. Local law enforcement has also attested to the video’s veracity in the interim. The Navy declared that it would look into what caused the mishap.

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Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the aircraft — a maritime operations helicopter and a Fennec military chopper — were rehearsing for a parade celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy, due to be held on Saturday. He said that efforts were underway to verify the identities of the crew members killed, all of whom were below the age of 40.

This incident occurred when a Malaysian Coast Guard helicopter crashed into the sea near Malaysia’s Angsa Island last month, resulting in the rescue of two crew members. The nation has a history of helicopter crashes; in 2020, two helicopters collided in a similar occurrence, killing two persons.

Six people perished before that, one of whom was Noriah Kasnon, the deputy minister of plantation industries and commodities at the time, in a helicopter accident in 2016. The incident happened a year after Jamaluddin Jarjis, the ambassador of Malaysia to the US at the time, and four other people perished in a forest after their helicopter crashed.